MAJOR: Special Friends
by Azter
Summary: There's 2 days left before Goro's departure to the states, Upon this few days, he remembers a special friend and decides to visit this person. On the other hand, Miho Nakamura still has her eyes on Shigeno and wanted to know his plans. M.Nakamura-X-XXXX G.Shigeno-X-XXXXX


**CHAPTER 1: Help From A Kohai**

* * *

America, just 2 days away and Goro will be able to pursue his dreams in the Major league; just days away to prepare himself for the big league and hopes to face his late father's rival, Joe Gibson.

It was a sunny Monday morning and Goro had gotten up early for an exercise as he do everyday. He took a 15 loop jog around the block and he was already done. Even though his departure to the states is just the day after tomorrow, Goro still wants to make his final days of his High school life a memorable one. He still attends classes and hangouts with his teammate buddies.

Goro, by being himself, the type of guy who hates to say goodbyes, always avoids to give straight answers to his friends regarding about the day of his scheduled flight and usually answers, "It's mere away" to avoid any melancholic conversations.

Noon came and the school bell rang, indicating lunchtime. Goro went to the rooftop and checked out their baseball field that he and his teammates built from scratch. He stepped foot on the mount like this is his last time and reminisced the memories he had on this field.

"It looks like this is it for the baseball team... Taiga doesn't want to continue anymore and the team merely have 4 players left next school year - unsure of the fact that there will be recruits."

As he gazed around the field, he saw a baseball lying on the field inches away from falling down to the school grounds. Goro went to pick it up and tried to put it away with the other equipment, but as he took a good look at the baseball, he remembered something from it.  
"Hey, It's you..!" Goro cheerfully said and panned up to the sky looking like he remembered someone from upon looking on the baseball.

From there, the class resumes and Goro had to attend his class. He put the baseball into his pocket and after school have ended, he showed it to one of his friends and asked a little favor.  
"Hey, uhm.. Can you help me with something? It's kinda bit embarrassing if I asked the others about this but, It's just I've forgotten."

"What is it Shigeno?" The gentle voice of Ayane Suzuki responds.  
Shigeno then showed the baseball to the girl who also remembered this actual ball that Goro used during his practice. The baseball had a slit, a small cut in one of it's side.

For a newbie to baseball, this ball would be trash for them, but for Shigeno and other great varsities of this sport, that cut on the ball has a purpose, the ball can actually perform the "Slider" pitch even though the pitcher doesn't know how to do it. A perfect equipment for practicing the Slider.

"I found this lying on the field"  
"I'm really sorry Shigeno, we must have missed that when we were cleaning up. Don't worry, I'll put it away with the others."  
"No, no.. It's not about that. It's just..." He paused, looked left then down - a reaction quite like an embarrassed little boy confessing his love to a girl. Goro's expression looked a bit confused with his face started going red.  
"Shigeno, are you blushing?" Ayane noticed. She then smiled happily and overtakes the conversation.  
"You want to see her right?" she asked.

"Waahh, uh, uh...uhm.. No..no.. Of course not...hehehe.. I just..." Goro freaked out and tried to explain but was cut off by Ayane's sweet reply.

"You don't have to hide it Shigeno, I won't tell anyone about this, I already know what you want. That baseball in your hand, it's the one that you used to practice the slider right? And by giving meaning to a slider, that could only mean Ryoko right? Ryoko Kawase?..."

Goro was silenced.

* * *

Right outside of the school, Fuji, Tashiro and Miho say their goodbyes for the day to Uchiyama and Miyazaki who decided to go home early. Usually, Fuji and the other third year players of the baseball club go home as a team until they take their own separate way, but with the university entrance exams coming up, Miyazaki wanted to study as soon as possible and Uchiyama on the other hand said that his Mother is sick and he had to take care of his little siblings.

Shigeno meanwhile doesn't partake in this activity and always goes home by himself, or sometimes accompanied by Kaoru Shimizu. But for Ayane, she was always accompanied by Tashiro who lives nearly 2 blocks away from her place.

"You guys go ahead, I'll wait for Ayane myself." Tashiro offered as he noticed that Ayane hasn't come out yet.  
"What do you mean Tashiro? Are you telling us to leave already so that you can be with Ayane alone? Don't tell me you're going to...confess?" Fuji replied with a joke.

"Wha..wha..what do you mean confess!?" Tashiro frantically answered back with his face going tomatoes. "Why you little..." He grabs hold of Fuji's head and applies a head lock to the red haired 2nd baseman.

"Ahhh! It hurts... It hurts...! Stop it Tashiro, I'm sorry..!" Fuji screamed as he taps out.

"Will you guys stop already?!" Miho scolded the boys who were behaving like little children. "You two are making a fuzz out here!" She said with an angry tone.

Even though that she's friends with them, it was quite stressful for Miho to get along with boys with the likes of Fuji, who for her is a pain in the neck.

Tashiro and Fuji then stopped - with Fuji's head still lock in the hold but with no pressure this time. They stopped their actions not because of their manager's words, but because of what they saw.  
It was Ayane coming out of the school, accompanied by the most famous guy in Seishuu, Goro Shigeno.

* * *

The 2nd year manager and the ace player of the baseball club were talking along as they walk towards out of school. Their faces were quite cheerful while talking to each other as if someone could say that they are in a relationship. Goro and Ayane then noticed the 3 standing outside,

"Oi, Tashiro..!" Goro called from a distance. "You guys haven't gone home yet?" he asked.

"Uhh..No.. Not yet.." Tashiro replied as he lets go of the hold he applied to Fuji. "We were waiting for Suzuki" Goro and Ayane then got them and had a little talk.

"Ahh yeah. Ayane told me that you guys always walk home together after school.."

"Yeah, we 3 including Uchiyama and Miyazaki, but those two said they wanted to go home early today, so it's just us 3 now... Hey.. Uhmm, why are you guys together anyway?"

"Well.. Uhh.." Goro paused and tries to think of a preferable reason to answer Tashiro's question.

"Uhmm..well, you see.." Goro was tensed, he couldn't think of a better answer to them, but luckily for him his words was immediately cut off when out of nowhere, Fuji sticks his face close enough to his.  
Fuji's face had a look of suspicion while looking Goro and Ayane together. He kept on checking Shigeno 360 degrees wearing the same look then stops.  
"Tell me Shigeno..., are you 2 dating?" he asked.

"Ehh?!" Said by the ace and the 2 managers caught in surprise.

"You..you got it all wrong Fuji-sempai!" Replied by the Kohai manager,

"Yeah, Its not like that.. You see... Uhhmm..well.. Co..coach assigned us to do something.. Yeah, that's it.." Goro said deceiving his teammates.

"Well, what is it?" Tashiro asked.

"Uhmm.. It's about... It's Taiga...right! It's Taiga, he said he doesn't want to continue the baseball club here anymore right? Coach asked us to talk to him, but it looks he's gone home already. So were going to his place." Goro answered.

"Well if that's the case, we should all try to convince Taiga about this." Fuji replied happily knowing it's the Shimizu residence. "Come on, let us join you guys."

"I think that's not a good idea Fuji-sempai. I noticed that among the other members, it's you sempai who he doesn't get along with. If you go along, he might just get irritated." Ayane explained.

"That's just too mean to say Ayane" Fuji sat in the corner all white and un-energetic. "How could you say something like that?..."

"It's just a manager's observation sempai," She replied.

"I agree with her..." Miho seconds the motion with a monotone voice.

Tashiro laughed hard by the 'So-True Joke' that Ayane mentioned and lets Goro and Ayane take care of things about Taiga.

"Come on Fuji lets go," Tashiro said to his red haired teammate as he sees him still all white and not-Fuji-like.

Goro and Ayane meanwhile took off as soon as they said their goodbyes to their teammates, but even though Goro and Ayane have explained things already, Miho Nakamura didn't believe any of it herself. Her mind was set in one thought, that Ayane and Shigeno are seeing each other. Her worried eyes were locked on the couple as she sees them walking together on the other direction.  
"Nakamura, we're leaving..." Tashiro said seeing her spacing out.

"Ahh.. ok.. Sorry to make you wait.." She then joins Tashiro and Fuji but her stare to the couple never went away.

Meanwhile, Goro felt relieved as he and Ayane walked together towards the train station, he thought that they will be caught if it wasn't for the reason of convincing Taiga about the baseball club. But as he thought of that, Goro silenced down, he really never expected for the baseball club to end so suddenly by the end of the school year.  
He then asked Ayane about Taiga and requests to convince Taiga to continue the baseball club.

"What are you talking about Shigeno? Taiga already said that he will not quit the baseball team, he also said to coach that he accepts your offer to be the team captain next year."

"Ehh?! He said to me that he doesn't want to continue anymore because there's no point of continuing if they already know that they're gonna lose."

"Really? He said that? Well I guess he must have changed his mind and probably have set his own goals now, like you had when you started this club."

"I guess so, and I'm quite thankful that you guys are continuing this." Shigeno's face brightens up as a small smile showed up from him.


End file.
